How many defunct BMW dealerships have you dealt with??

stkmkt1 said:

Grayboy in Peoria, IL. I spoke with the Owner about this issue. Several years ago, BMW decided they wanted their bike shops to look more like the auto dealerships. When they cam to Tote (the Owner of Grayboy), they "demanded he remodel his store, and provide a separate show floor for BMW. No other brands would be allowed on that show floor. He was free to continue to sell other brands, but they had to be isolated as far as the show floor was concerned. Well, he is land-locked, no room to grow in size. It was going to cost way too much money to remodel his store to look like BMW was demanding. And, he says unlike the "jap bike riders", BMW riders are cheap. They buy the bike, then ride it for ever. Most other brand riders are constantly trading their bikes in on new models.

So he told BMW that he would not remodel. They said he must or they would pull his dealership. He told them to come get all their @#$%& stuff and get out of his building. He sold them all of his inventory, including the parts. He said he made more money selling them the parts at cost than he would have made over the next 10 years selling BMW bikes. This is his story, straight from his mouth to me.

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Sorry I think you were fed a line of bull.

Those are all things BMW would "like" their current dealers to do but they can't force them to do it. If they did Razee Motorcycle Center would look dramatically different.

What they can do is send more inventory (esp clothing and accessories) to the dealers that represent the marque the way BMW would like.

They can also dictate terms for a *new* dealer but they so long as the invoices are being paid they can not "force" a current francise holder to change much of anything.

robnye said:

They can also dictate terms for a *new* dealer but they so long as the invoices are being paid they can not "force" a current francise holder to change much of anything.

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A *new* dealer also includes someone buying an existing franchise & facility. BMW's dealer policy made it impossible for my local mom & pop BMW shop to sell their franchise when the owner wanted to retire. No reasonable buyer could justify the upgrade costs in a high value area such as Los Angeles. The shop closed and the franchise was transferred to an existing BMW car dealer (who didn't know an R69S from a 325i) !

robnye said:

Sorry I think you were fed a line of bull.

Those are all things BMW would "like" their current dealers to do but they can't force them to do it. If they did Razee Motorcycle Center would look dramatically different.

What they can do is send more inventory (esp clothing and accessories) to the dealers that represent the marque the way BMW would like.

They can also dictate terms for a *new* dealer but they so long as the invoices are being paid they can not "force" a current francise holder to change much of anything.

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I take it you've never signed a start up agreement with the Mother Ship....BMW? "Force" can come in many different ways and "requirements" under threat of exercising their contractual rights can be a shop stopper, if they want it to be. I've been involved and watched it happen more than once.

Motodan said:

I take it you've never signed a start up agreement with the Mother Ship....BMW? "Force" can come in many different ways and "requirements" under threat of exercising their contractual rights can be a shop stopper, if they want it to be. I've been involved and watched it happen more than once.

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It's a contract that works both ways.

My local dealer is a modern start up that went from zero to two stores in the top 10 nationally in under 10 years.

I work in petroleum transport by sea, believe me I know all about using contractual requirements to get desired results.

Having said this nobody is forcing people to sign franchise agreements. Sometimes it's bad luck, sometimes it's poor business sense and once in a while it's a refusal to change. These guys make great albeit occasionally cranky privateers, they're the ones talking about BMW "forcing" them to close when in reality it was the changing marketplace and father time.

robnye said:

Sorry I think you were fed a line of bull.

Those are all things BMW would "like" their current dealers to do but they can't force them to do it. If they did Razee Motorcycle Center would look dramatically different.

What they can do is send more inventory (esp clothing and accessories) to the dealers that represent the marque the way BMW would like.

They can also dictate terms for a *new* dealer but they so long as the invoices are being paid they can not "force" a current francise holder to change much of anything.

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I don't think BMW closed BMW Motorcycles of Little Rock, AR, but I know for a fact that BMW forced them to build a wall to segregate (hide) the Triumphs and Ducatis behind the wall. The owner told me this when I inquired about the wall being built. Later they were allowed to remove the wall when they expanded the size of the showroom. They soon closed the doors and went out of business. I am not privileged to the reasons why.

Ralph Sims

breyfogle said:

A *new* dealer also includes someone buying an existing franchise & facility. BMW's dealer policy made it impossible for my local mom & pop BMW shop to sell their franchise when the owner wanted to retire. No reasonable buyer could justify the upgrade costs in a high value area such as Los Angeles. The shop closed and the franchise was transferred to an existing BMW car dealer (who didn't know an R69S from a 325i) !

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I always wondered why Marty's closed. That was my closest dealer. I suspect the dealer I use in the valley will have the same fate when they retire. They started selling BMW's in the 50's when they hit the US, and the place has not changed much since.

Scott

BuddingGeezer said:

I don't think BMW closed BMW Motorcycles of Little Rock, AR, but I know for a fact that BMW forced them to build a wall to segregate (hide) the Triumphs and Ducatis behind the wall. The owner told me this when I inquired about the wall being built. Later they were allowed to remove the wall when they expanded the size of the showroom. They soon closed the doors and went out of business. I am not privileged to the reasons why.

Ralph Sims

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That's weird because two of the dealers I've visited in Pennsylvania--Hermy's in Port Clinton and one in State College--both also carried Triumph in the same showroom. And the State College one also had Ducatis.

rockbottom said:

That's weird because two of the dealers I've visited in Pennsylvania--Hermy's in Port Clinton and one in State College--both also carried Triumph in the same showroom. And the State College one also had Ducatis.

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BMW really wants to keep their product separate, but it depends on how much any particular BMW rep wants to be a pain in the butt. If you sell the hell out of their product, nothing will be said. If your sales aren't where they think they should be, you'll get blasted about it all the time. Not only that, but the specific carpet, from the specific distributor, signs facing just the right way, proper clothing display, minimum square footage for the product and on and on.

BMW Motorcycles of Indianapolis
Revard BMW Motorcycles, Indianapolis
Lew Fox - Napperville, Illinois
Laurel -
TAG - Geneva, IL
Kegel - Rockford, Illinois
C&D - Freeport, IL

And I don't even know the name of the one in the NY/Canada border, but they still got me back on the road with a new battery early one July morning a number of years ago.

I bought my first BMW in 1975 (slightly used 1974 R90/6) from a dealer on North Broad St. in Philadelphia, I think called Philadelphia Cycle--long gone. I subsequently moved 40 miles south to Delaware and dealt with all of the following now defunct dealerships in the DE, PA, NJ, MD area:
Van Sice in Wilmington, (wouldn't fix your bike if he didn't like you)
Diamond Motorsports in Dover DE
Edgewood Cycles in MD (someone told me it was the oldest BMW dealer in U.S.)
Millville, NJ "Sport" something or other
RK BMW in Deptford NJ
Otto's BMW in West Chester, PA (a car dealer that had the cycle franchise twice, about 10 years apart, the first time i ever saw cycle "technicians" wearing white lab coats.
Track and Trail in New Castle De.
Stans in Doylestown, PA
Devon BMW in Devon PA
DiSimone in Cherry Hill NJ
All of them gone now. Newest dealer is an hour and a half away through dense traffic in Montgomeryville, Pa. I think the same place had a franchise 20 years ago.

More!

Polk's Cycle - Seattle Wa. I bought my 76R90S.. (my last new m/c)

Sell or Die.

Any shop generates expenses 24/7.

You have 5 or 6 days a week from 8am to 6pm to cover the costs. When the economy slows... the buyers slow... and the expenses continue.. and we all bitch about the high prices..

You want it.. the simple fact of economics, is you "got to pay". We all like nice places to go to when we are shopping.

Polk's had and oily floor... I donne know,... I bought my bike there.. maybe you wouldn't.

It is not easy out there, when no-body comes in.

Oily floor or not, no body comes in...... a fancy shine on the floor and lots of big windows on a busy street next to the Land Rover dealer, with lots of inventory laying around... big nuts to crack...every month.

Just plain economics.. if you follow my drift.

The new RR is a sweet deal.. I hope somebody buys it.

I would like to see a retro.. but would I buy one when there are tons of Classic out there for sale..?

Jim Dahl, Ketchikan Alaska

Motodan said:

I can't remember all the names, but here's some locations where they've come and gone..... Dover, Ohio ....

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I thought that Mathias BMW was in Dover in the tiny shop. Then a few years back he build a brand new bigger shop a few miles up the road in New Philadelphia, Ohio. If so, this isn't exactly the same as having "come and gone".

http://www.mathiasbmw.com/default.asp

Roman's Cycle in Austintown, Ohio

Little Rock BMW failed in the economic down turn

Used to live in Philly - the shop on Broad Street was owned by Ned Weiswasser - very cool guy and seemed to know his bikes. Unfortunately, he was working on the roof one day and fell off... broke his neck. Damm.

Marty's Foreign Motors (aka Marty's BMW) in Torrance was a combination of issues hitting at once. The owner wanted to retire, Mothership wanted them to expand and sell more clothing & accessories, there was no room to expand and the cost of the lease had become prohibitive over time, and the city fathers had even voiced grief and anguish over having a motorcycle shop on their main street. I know a few people who had issues with the shop - and rightfully so, having impartially heard both sides of those issues - but I never had a problem and enjoyed the place and people a lot; I had no problem recommending them. You could even hang out for donuts and play with the dog.

Everything got sold off to Long Beach BMW, which was a car dealership but now became a combined car & bike dealership. Two of Marty's best wrenches also went to LBBMW. It started ok but seemed to degrade... the car side seemed snooty to the bikes, I was even told "no please move your motorcycle over there", and I was hearing mixed reports about service. I'd wander thru the car side while waiting and I felt their eyes...

Soon, the guys from Marty's left and started their own shops; one has moved out of state, but Valdi still has his shop and I like it a lot. http://valdis-motozone.com/
Another one of their wrenches, JR, also has his own shop now http://www.angelcitycycle.com/aboutus.htm He was also pretty good at Marty's but I've not been to his new place yet.

Then the bike side of LBBMW physically and monetarily split off from the car side. It is now its own shop, across the street from the car dealership, and Bob & Ryan are actually MC guys and want this place to succeed. So far I like them and I hope they do well in the long run. The new place looks almost exactly like the pictures that MacFly posted for Sant?® Fe (except for no "drive thru" overhang); is this the corporate standard now?

Looking at the wall map, it really looks like Cody Wyoming would be just a bitchin' place for a shop...

Wheeled products

35634 said:

Does anyone know of a Honda or Suzuki car dealer that also sells bikes? I don't.

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In Canada Honda is pushing Powerhouse all in one dealerships.
Automotive, Motorcycles, proprety Care products and recreational products all under one roof. There's one in Milton Ontario.

The problem with these is physical space.
Most Honda automotive dealers have a premium on space for their new stock,
so often there is often no room for the additional Honda motorcycle/recreational/lawn care product.
Larger physical properties cost money, and are taxed heavily at least around here.

I think of the local to me GM dealership, now selling the remains of what is
GM wheeled vehicles however their dealer lot i has maybe 500 automobiles and trucks, all new, all for sale.
Figure the geographical size. And said GM dealer is a family business; they also own
the local Mazda as well as Acura dealerships. They also own the new Powerhouse Honda dealership in Milton!

Somebody mentioned Budd's in Oakville Ontario. Budd's also now owns the local GM franchises
(GMC trucks, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and Buick). as well. Budd's also has Jaguar, Land Rover,
Mini, Subarau, Saab and BMW cars and motorcycles.
John Parker is the BMW motorcycle to see at Budd's.

A couple of years ago I was in Birmingham AL on business. I had a little spare time so I went over to Bogarts to look around. I spent 20 minutes wandering around the showroom and not one soul even spoke to me. There was one other person doing the same and no one spoke to him either. We were the only customers in the place. He walked out, got on his BMW bike and rode away. Two minutes later I walked out to my company car and drove away. I guess they had made their quota for the month and didn't need us. I won't go back.

SouthWest Virginia

Here in southwest Virginia we just lost Hammersleys (Crossroads) BMW in Lynchburg, VA. They were a car-bike dealership. So now our closest BMW motorbike dealer is Carolina Euro in Greensboro, NC. BMW Motorad USA would like a dealership in Roanoke. There is a Honda-Triumph dealer in Christiansburg, VA, only 35 miles from Roanoke that seriously wants to ad BMW to thier shop, and has a letter of intent in to BMW. But BMW wants them to open a second store in Roanoke. This dealership owner has to either invest in a second operation in Roanoke, or convince BMW to let him operate a Honda-Triumph-BMW shop in one new building in Christiansburg. His current shop is large enough for Honda and Triumph, but he is willing to build a new ground up building to house all 3 brands, with separate showroom area. It makes sense to me to house all 3 brands in one location from an investment, and return on investment standpoint. But BMW so far is just looking at demographics and thinks that a larger population base is centered in Roanoke. A new Christiansburg location would be right off of an I-81 exit, so I doubt the 35 mile distance from Roanoke would make much difference to buyers or owners.
My question is does anyone have a contact name at BMW Motorad USA that I could write or email in support of the Christiansburg dealer's plan to obtain BMW and build a new facility in Christiansburg?

Tallnbig68 said:

In Canada Honda is pushing Powerhouse all in one dealerships.
Automotive, Motorcycles, proprety Care products and recreational products all under one roof. There's one in Milton Ontario.

The problem with these is physical space.
Most Honda automotive dealers have a premium on space for their new stock,
so often there is often no room for the additional Honda motorcycle/recreational/lawn care product.
Larger physical properties cost money, and are taxed heavily at least around here.

I think of the local to me GM dealership, now selling the remains of what is
GM wheeled vehicles however their dealer lot i has maybe 500 automobiles and trucks, all new, all for sale.
Figure the geographical size. And said GM dealer is a family business; they also own
the local Mazda as well as Acura dealerships. They also own the new Powerhouse Honda dealership in Milton!

Somebody mentioned Budd's in Oakville Ontario. Budd's also now owns the local GM franchises
(GMC trucks, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and Buick). as well. Budd's also has Jaguar, Land Rover,
Mini, Subarau, Saab and BMW cars and motorcycles.
John Parker is the BMW motorcycle to see at Budd's.

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Last summer I was in Ontario and upon inspection I noted that my tires were in dire need of replacing. I called up Bud's BMW and spoke with John Parker, motorcycle service manager, and he fixed me up with two new tires and he even slotted me into his busy schedule when I told him I was from BC.

While I was there I took a look around and I must say it was one of the busiest well run dealerships I've ever been in. The staff was friendly, helpful and if I lived in Ontario I'd take all my BMW's there.

Given the title of this thread it is nice to see a success story once in a while.

cbcK1200S - Colin
/////// =o&o>

Acejones said:

A couple of years ago I was in Birmingham AL on business. I had a little spare time so I went over to Bogarts to look around. I spent 20 minutes wandering around the showroom and not one soul even spoke to me. There was one other person doing the same and no one spoke to him either. We were the only customers in the place. He walked out, got on his BMW bike and rode away. Two minutes later I walked out to my company car and drove away. I guess they had made their quota for the month and didn't need us. I won't go back.

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You wil not be surprised to hear that they have just given notice that they will close the doors permanently in the next couple of weeks. It does not come as a surprise to anyone living in Alabama.